From the News

Dated:

Prominent Surgeon Home.

Irving C. Cameron¹, the well-known surgeon, arrived home in Toronto yesterday from England, where he was in charge of the surgery department of the Ontario Government Hospital at Orpington.  There are 1100 beds in the hospital, and of this number 200 are kept vacant if possible for an emergency.  The staff consists of 30 medical officers, 80 nurses and five chaplains.

Speaking of conditions in France he said: 

"The worst feature we have to combat is infection.  The soil of France is so highly cultivated that it is full of germs, especially of tetanus (lockjaw) germs, and gas-forming germs. As the result of this a soldier lying wounded for any length of time is in danger of infection.  For this reason present war surgery is the same as 50 years ago, and the modern 'clean surgery' can seldom be used."

Dirty uniforms and clothing forms another source of danger, stated Dr. Cameron.  Of the cases handled by the Orpington institution fully 80 per cent were from shrapnel and high explosive bullets.  Pieces of cloth are often carried into the body by pieces of shrapnel, and when the surgeons take out the bullet they often find it wrapped in a piece of coat or shirt.